


White Lie

by dreamchapel



Series: Pure Light AU [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drabble, Gen, Gothic, Horror, Supernatural Illnesses, this drabble does have a bit more of the horror element HDBFBF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 13:07:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20657747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamchapel/pseuds/dreamchapel
Summary: //Pure Light AUVentus is at the mercy of the light poisoning he's been afflicted with once more; this time, Terra and Aqua realize just how dire the situation is becoming, but must continue to mask their dread, grief, and anxiety with a happy smile and a welcoming embrace.--Warning for somewhat heavy mentions/descriptions of blood in this one!!--





	White Lie

“_ MASTER ERAQUS!” _

The scream of pure terror echoed as a torrential downpour pounded relentlessly against the three people hurriedly pulling themselves towards the tall, looming castle’s entrance way. Deafening crashes of thunder shook them to their core and felt as though they shattered the sky with every resounding _ boom. _

_ This can’t be happening, this isn't real, this isn’t real, none of this is real _.

A hopeless mantra of false reassurance raced through Aqua’s mind as she dragged the bleeding, motionless boy across the silver courtyard tiles that were slick with rain. Terra, her only companion, continued shouting for the aid of their master as he held the unconscious boy’s left arm.   
The beautiful ebony boots that the boy wore were drenched in water, ruined by the mud and puddles of rainwater he had collapsed into. His face hung down, and the rain pelted his soft, ashen face, washing away the strange white liquid that poured from his eyes, mouth, and nose. 

Aqua cried out another panicked sob once they had made their way through the heavy golden doors into the castle’s main room.

“Terra, quickly, grab a towel—hurry, please!!” Aqua’s demand was frantic and her voice threatened to break into another shriek. She tore off one of her sleeves and held it up against Ven’s face, praying that the bleeding would cease.  
Terra raced across the empty corridors as he called out the name of their master repeatedly, the echoes of his voice filling the otherwise silent and empty castle. 

Aqua wept loudly as white blotches began creeping through the dark purple fabric of her sleeve. The bleeding hadn’t slowed any—in fact, it seemed as though it had only worsened, the shimmering blood beginning to seep through the white blotches as droplets of liquid despite the cloth barrier pushed tightly against Ven’s face.   
A sudden wave of relief washed over Aqua as she lifted her head and spotted Terra returning with folded towels in his arms along with Master Eraqus running at his side. 

“Aqua, Terra, what happened to him?” Eraqus demanded, his expression stern and his hands trembling as he closed the space between himself and Ventus. 

“I-I don’t know,” cried Aqua. “We were taking a break from training, a-and Terra, he, he told Ven he was proud of his training, and Ven just began bleeding everywhere!!” The terror that filled the room upon Aqua explaining the situation was palatable; Master Eraqus froze and exchanged a puzzled glance with Terra.  
Terra quickly knelt down and replaced Aqua’s soiled sleeve with a soft black towel, pressing it firmly against Ven’s face.

“What do you _ mean _he just started bleeding after that?” Eraqus interrogated, still deeply bewildered by Aqua’s statement. 

“She meant what she said,” Terra began. “I told Ventus I was proud of how far he was coming along. He smiled, laughed, and before we knew it, there was…” Terra trailed off, his body shaking as he recalled the events that occurred only minutes ago. 

Master Eraqus reacted with a burst of anger.

“Why didn’t you use any healing magic on him?” 

“We _ did _,” Terra replied coldly. “It didn’t work.”

Aqua’s breathing quickened to an uncomfortable pace against her lungs.

“It made it _ worse _,” she finished Terra’s statement.

“He was bleeding before, so I cast Curaga, and he fainted, and now the blood just won't _ stop _—”

“Aqua, please, calm down. Panicking is the last issue we need right now,” Eraqus interrupted her bluntly. Aqua flinched a bit from her master's sudden callousness, but shook her head, telling herself that he was right. 

“Move aside, both of you. I’ll take care of this.”  
With that, the master quickly took Ventus’s unconscious body from Aqua’s arms and positioned him in a bridal style carry. Eraqus gasped slightly when the black towel pressed against Ven’s face slid off, and with it came the white blood that continued to gush and spill onto the hard floor beneath. 

“Ventus!” Terra cried as his shock overcame him once more at the sight.  
Without wasting another moment, Eraqus turned left and dashed upwards, nearly tripping on the arching stairwell as he pinned Ventus’s face down against his chest in yet another feeble attempt to slow the bleeding. Aqua and Terra chased him, bringing the dampened black towels along with them.  
  
Though filled with shock and terror, the entire scenario seemed almost ritualistic for the 4 castle residents. Eraqus numbly went about placing Ven into his pitch black room and yanking the towels out of Aqua’s hands. Muffled cries and whimpers sounded both from Terra and Aqua as Eraqus made quick work of wrapping black bandages and towels around Ventus’s head and face. He finished off by pulling a thick, black blanket over Ven’s inanimate form. 

Eraqus stepped backwards, face in hand, and simply waited quietly. He loomed over Ventus’s shrouded body like a tall, dying tree, swaying ever so slightly as anxiety and uncertainty crept into the atmosphere of the room. Aqua and Terra stood next to their master, huddled tightly together and statuesque in their horror as they stared wide-eyed at the vague outline of Ven’s body under the blankets.  
Several minutes passed. Ven remained completely still. Eraqus let out a heavy sigh as he slowly turned himself to face Terra and Aqua.

“Aqua, Terra, we will give Ven another hour. If he does not come through, then I’m afraid to admit that the worst has come to pass.” Eraqus’s eyes were glazed over as he spoke in a somber, monotonous voice.   
Aqua wailed as her body was wracked with tremors. She began sinking to her knees, burying her face in the palms of her hands as she howled broken sobs of pain. Terra’s cold and aloof façade had broken as well, his eyes squeezed tightly shut with tears staining his cheeks. 

Eraqus silently walked out of the room, the door clicking shut as he departed, leaving the grief-stricken Terra and Aqua to themselves to sit beside Ven and pray with all the hope they had left. 

* * *

Elsewhere, at this moment in time, a figure shrouded in complete darkness sat alone in a dry, barren wasteland. The person’s masked face tilted upwards slightly, and he blinked, taking in the sight of the dull and overcast sky.

All of a sudden, he felt a jolt of intense warmth strike his chest. The figure was knocked backwards, clutching his chest tightly as he began giggling uncontrollably. An unpleasant and dreadful mix of panic and delight swirled around in his heart, and his laughing halted in favor of a loud yelp. The figure tore off his mask and tugged at the messy black strands of hair that obscured his face.

_ Ven, what the hell? _

As soon as the irritated thought passed through his mind, the uncomfortable, overpowering feelings of delight and warmth faded. Vanitas gasped and rolled onto his side, attempting to catch his breath.   
For a moment, it felt as though Ven’s heart wavered, blinking in and out of Vanitas’s senses like a fading star, but now it had returned to its usual state of powerful light.  
Vanitas leaned on his elbows to weakly raise himself up and off the dry soil below and stared listlessly into the empty distance.  
The moments of intense light, the feelings of powerful happiness, love, and serenity had once been few and far between, but Vanitas noticed a steady increase in how often they came. Each and every time, it seemed as though a part of Ven’s heart had been erased by the light, but with it, a part of Vanitas’s heart came to its aid just in time to return its balance.

These moments left Vanitas dazed and out of it. He was certain Xehanort would find him soon, splayed out across the ground and mindless as a doll, and he’d be certain to knock Vanitas back into his senses with a powerful blow to the chest.

Until then, Vanitas simply lay all alone, staring up at the gray, featureless sky. 

* * *

In the Land of Departure, two paralyzed people stood gazing at a shape tucked under a deep black comforter. Aqua and Terra’s crying hadn't ceased as they exchanged words of encouragement that went unheard by Ventus. 

“Please, Ventus, please wake up…” Aqua whispered in between quiet whimpers. 

As though something somewhere had truly been there to grant a wish, Aqua spotted gradual movement from under the blankets. She gasped in surprise as Ven’s shaky hands rose up and pulled down the blanket covering his face—then the towels, and finally the black bandages that had been bleached white. 

“Ventus!!” Aqua shouted as both she and Terra leapt towards Ven, leaning over him to pull him into a tight embrace. 

Ven smiled widely and graciously accepted the affection, letting out a soft hum of delight as Terra and Aqua’s warmth enveloped him. 

“Terra, Aqua,” Ven began, his voice light and airy as always.

“Why was my face all bandaged up like that?” The innocent question caused Terra and Aqua to freeze up. They shared a worried glance with one another before Terra spoke up.

“Ah, Ven, it wasn’t anything bad. You just had a hard fall while we were training and you were bleeding a bit, that's all.” Terra forced an almost painful smile as he told the sugary white lie to Ven. 

Ven smiled once more and chuckled.

“Sorry about that, I should be more careful! Thank you for taking such good care of me!” Ven praised Terra and Aqua joyfully, but the two would only have yet another sleepless night because of it. 

_ How long will this go on… what if next time, he really doesn’t wake up? _

Aqua shook the thoughts from her head. The only choice she had anymore was to keep pretending all was well for Ven, keep pretending all was well for her sake. All she could do was cherish every moment she had with Ven while she still had it. She knew Terra felt the same, and both of them refused to speak of the terrible, horrifying problem that hung over the young Keyblade Master-in-training.

His eyes appeared a little grayer than before.

**Author's Note:**

> HUUU this one was genuinely super painful to write but i had a ton of fun still!!! the pure light drabble series continues and with it... finally more vanitas!!


End file.
